Interview with Jesse Balmer

q)Please introduce yourself.

a)My name is Jesse Balmer. I'm 22 years old,

and I was born in San Juan Capistrano,

California.

q)Where do you live and work?

a)I've been living in San Francisco for

a little over a year and a half now, and

it's been treating me very well.

q)How would you describe your work

to someone who has never seen it?

a)My work changes pretty rapidly

as various influences come and go,

but right now I'm trying to explore

the fluidity
with which life fades in and out

of the physical universe and what the infinite void

surrounding it might look like.
I think the stars are clearer there.

q)How did you start in the arts?

How/when did you realize you were an artist?

a)In kindergarten everyone in the class

was drawing this crab from a book we'd just read...

and the teacher said that
she especially liked the detail in mine.

I must have put extra spines on the legs or something...

but that was the first
complement I remember receiving about

my drawing and I've been drawing instead

of paying attention to my obligations ever since.

q)What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)In my sketchbooks I use ballpoint pens and

Tombow brush pens almost exclusively.

Nothing feels better than drawing with
a brush pen on a smooth sheet of newsprint.

Highly recommended for releasing tension.

When I'm getting
serious with a piece, I use Stonehenge paper,

gouache, ink, colored pencils and micron pens.

I like to keep things pretty simple.

q)What/who influences you most?

a)Nothing influences anybody more than

the vast number of things things they experience

on a day to day basis...and I'm no
different. Also, artists in this day and age are on

a quest to make the average zoned out

human being stop and think for a moment
about something other than themselves.

As far as the who goes...Dr. Seuss and

Shel Silverstein are two big ones.

The strong connection that exist
between their words and drawings is

something that I was shaped by as a

child and is something that I now really envy.

q)Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)Get up, go to work, come home, go to bed,

find self unable to sleep due to idea

banging around in head, stay up until
4 executing idea on paper.

q)Do you have goals, specific things you want

to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?

a)I'd like to start writing and illustrating my own comics.

I do it on a small scale in my sketchbook,
but I've yet to create a world with the kind of continuity

that allows for a story to unfold. That world is finally starting

to take
shape though, which is exciting.

q)What contemporary artists or developments

in art interest you?

a)When I was in high school that whole

Beautiful Losers thing happened, which got me

seriously thinking about making artwork
beyond what I did every day in my sketchbooks

which up until then was just a tool to keep

myself entertained in class or wherever
I was. And there are so many incredible artists that

I discover every single day that it'd take way too long

to list them all...
but the fact remains that I'm blown away all the time.

I've recently had the pleasure of seeing two of my

favorite artists working
in their element: Matt Furie and

Maxwell Loren Holyoke Hirsch. It's incredible

to see the work ethic of a working artist. I have
a long way to go.

q)How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)Somewhere between fifteen minutes and eight hours.

q)Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you

emotionally attached to them?

a)I am certainly attached to everything...

which has resulted in many drawers full of old

shitty drawings. I don't know if it's good or bad.
They'll need it for the retrospective they publish when I die,

right? No. I'll need it all to show my kids when
I'm forcing them to be artists like their dad.

As far as selling work goes,

if somebody likes a piece enough to hang it in
their home, parting with it becomes pretty easy.

q)Is music important to you? If so,

what are some things you're listening to now?

a)There are so many bands. Animal Collective

and Panda Bear are my favorite things to draw to.

q)Books?

a)Been reading a lot of comics lately.

Paul Pope is incredible. Alan Moore, of course...

and I'm a big huge batman fan. The best
novel I read recently was East of Eden by Steinbeck.

Holy shit. Mind expanding on so many levels.

Or maybe I just don't get out
enough.

q)What theories or beliefs do you have

regarding creativity or the creative process?

a)I think that the creative process is

something that's essential to the sane human mind.

And I don't just mean the traditional list
of creative outlets(music, writing, cooking, drawing etc).

I think there are many hundreds or thousands

of ways to release that energy...

but what's important is that it gets released.

If I didn't draw I don't know what I'd do.

I'd go nuts or I'd find another outlet.

I think there are a lot of
people in the world looking for the thing

that satisfies the creative side of their brain.

I think those are the people who don't
know what they want to be when they grow up.

I feel very lucky to have found something

that makes me so happy...and even luckier to
to have been born into one of the few places

where people have time to even think about art.

q)What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing)

when you're not creating?

a)Frisbee, reading comics, Super Smash Bros 64,

the bike, picnicking in golden gate park,

movies for free, and taking trips to Los
Angeles/Orange County to visit

my long lost friends and family.

q)Do you have any projects or

shows coming up that you are

particularly excited about?

a)I have a show with Bwana Spoons,

Martin Ontiveros and Grant Gilliland called

The Continuous Spectrum coming up at

Double Punch which is one of those trendy expensive vinyl

figure stores here in SF...and I have a collaborative show

in the works with another local artist who

works in three dimensions. It's
not totally fleshed out and we don't have dates

or anything so I don't want to get too into it,

but I'm very excited about that one.

q)Do you follow contemporary art scenes?

If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?

a)I browse FecalFace.com on a pretty regular

basis and I post my work on the forums at conceptart.org.

Both are very excellent places to go if you're looking for inspiration.

q)Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.

a)What do you think about artists who back themselves

into a stylistic corner in order to fit a certain interest group

specifically to make money? Art making should be about

doing what's satisfying to you and hoping

that people relate to it enough to want to make it a

part of their lives. It's a mistake to think too strongly

about the business end of things. As of now I have no idea

what it's like to make any sort of money via my art.

I just do it because I've always done it. But I'm certainly

at that point where I'd like to start working less and making

art more. If you're doing your own thing and you're good at it,

people will eventually recognize and appreciate

your work, which is when an artist starts to become successful.

q)Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)I think I just answered that question sort of...

but go get yourself a sketchbook and start developing

something all your own. Always keep it with you

and draw in that thing every day. You don't have to get

a degree but it's a good idea to at least take

classes at your local community college to keep

fresh thoughts and ideas running through your head.

q)Where can we see more of your work online?

a)On flickr or on myspace for the time being as

my website is currently "under construction."

Interview with Maia Palileo

q)Please introduce yourself.

a)Hello, my name is Maia Palileo.

q)Where do you live and work?

a)Brooklyn, NY

q)How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?

a)I make paintings, sculptures, and installations based on my Filipino family. A couple years ago, I converted my studio into my grandparents’ living room from Fort Wayne Indiana that was a mix of hand made things like cardboard and contact paper wood panelling and Styrofoam bricks, replicated and existing artwork and bric-a-brac. From there, I started painting based on old family photographs, then made a cast of a couch with life size figures from the paintings, and am now painting again.

q)How did you start in the arts? How/when did you realize you were an artist?

a)I took a photography class in high school and thought I wanted to be a photographer. When I got to college, the school didn’t offer photography, so I ended up in a drawing class. My mom died in the spring of my second year of college and then my best friend killed himself that same summer. When I went back to school the next fall, I spent almost all of my time, even cutting classes, in the studio. It was the only way I could handle what I was going through. It wasn’t until I went to graduate school seven years later that I came to the realization that this was not only what I want to do with my life, but that it’s what I need to do. I feel like I don’t have a choice.

q)What are your favorite art materials and why?

a)I like making things up, like thinking about how can I make that out of regular, household things, or how can I use a traditional material and make it look nothing like what it actually is (for sculpture, that is). I’m not a huge fan of traditional sculpture materials. As far as painting, I like to find a way to make marks that are indirect like painting on a piece of paper and then transferring it onto another paper or using carbon paper to draw instead of directly drawing onto the paper. It feels less predictable and less perfect. I was also using house paint for a while, but am now trying out gouache.

q)What/who influences you most?

a)Memory and loss.

q)Describe a typical day of art making for you.

a)It usually takes me at least three hours to start to feel like I’m doing something. After the first three hours, I succumb to my day and begin to get focused on whatever I’m working on. I try not to take my computer to the studio unless I need it for the work because I get distracted by the internet. I recently got a printer that is also a copy machine, so I’ve been using it to enlarge collages and drawings a lot and using carbon paper to transfer those images onto the paintings.

q)Do you have goals, specific things you want to achieve with your art or in your career as an artist?

a)My main goal is to be honest in the work, always. And then I want to share it with the world.

q)What contemporary artists or developments in art interest you?

a)Some of my favourites are Louise Bourgois, Kiki Smith, Eva Hesse, Sally Mann, Mamma Andersson, Peter Doig, Kerry James Marshall, Shigeko Kubota, Ann Liv Young, Ryan Trecartin, Kara Walker, wooden santos/religious imagery, folk art, performance and experimental theatre.

q)How long does it typically take you to finish a piece?

a)It depends on what it is, I spent over six months making my grandparents living room, sculptures take forever too, but not six months, maybe a few weeks on each piece, but they’re usually all being worked on at the same time. Painting is different, I make a lot of crappy paintings for a few months and then finally figure out how to make the paintings I want to make and then work manically and fairly quickly once the connection happens.

q)Do you enjoy selling your pieces, or are you emotionally attached to them?

a)Yes! Let me know if you’re interested!

q)Is music important to you? If so, what are some things you're listening to now?

a)I listen to music while I’m working until I get sick of the music on my ipod. Most played recently are Jenny Lewis, Feist, Electrelane, and Joan as Policewoman.

q)Books?

a)I used to spend hours in the art library in grad school when I felt like I couldn’t do any work in the studio. I just re-read some of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, I love how dark and sad they are. One book from the library that I was obsessed with for a while was a book about Puerto Rican santos. They were so amazing to me, how the wood was worn and the layers of paint always looked like they were rotting off, and how artisans from different colonized countries, including the Philippines, took the Santo and made it their own.

q)What theories or beliefs do you have regarding creativity or the creative process?

a)No theories, really, I just think that it is necessary and essential not only in my life, but also in the world. Especially art because it doesn’t require words or explanations.

q)What do you do (or what do you enjoy doing) when you're not creating?

a)If I’m not working at my job, I like to hang around my house, see movies, and harass my cats and girlfriend.

q)Do you have any projects or shows coming up that you are particularly excited about?

a)I just took down an installation in a window gallery where I got to combine parts of the installation of my grandparents’ living room with sculptures of life-size family members and a paper couch. The gallery was in an area where you wouldn’t expect to see art, it was sort of like a public art installation, so I liked that it was removed from the typical places one would find art. It was also cool to combine two different works in a way that made a different piece.

Also, my girlfriend is an actor/performer and we are planning on collaborating soon. I don’t know what it will be, but I’m so excited! It will most likely explore gender and sexuality, things I don’t normally address in my work.

q)Do you follow contemporary art scenes? If so, how? What websites, magazines, galleries do you prefer?

a)Yes, I try to get out to galleries, performances, and museums but not often enough…I subscribe to the following magazines: Bomb, Art Forum, Art in America, and will be featured in this month’s issue of Contemporary Art Philippines.

q)Ask yourself a question you'd like to answer, and answer it.

a)Yes, I will make my way to the Philippines soon.

q)Any advice for aspiring artists?

a)Just be honest.

q)Where can we see more of your work online?

a) www.maiapalileo.com

Interview with Elin Melberg

q)What is your name and what do you do?

a)My name is Elin Melberg, and I am an artist.

q)When did you really get into art?

a)I started studying art full time in 1995, and finished my MA Degree at the Royal College of Art, London, in 2002. I started getting into art earlier of course, and could wait to finish school and get into it full time. It is a cliche, but it is true, I always wanted to be an artist..

q)How did you come to the realization that you should try
your luck at art on a more serious level?

a)There really was not a better alternative for me I think. I was determined art was it for me, and I never really questionned it. I just went for it.

q)How did you discover the particular style that you
have?

a)It took me years of course, trying out new things and experimenting, and I am still changing. I think studying in London was the best choice I made, as I love the British culture and the contemporary art scene there, as well as the colour PINK. I think British culture made me find myself when it comes to style, and gave me confidence. England is very me..and a combination of this together with elements of my collectibels and memrobilia form my style.

q)How would you describe your style?

a)It’s a new kind of popish style, combined with elements linked to graffiti and traditional handcraft as sowing beads. It is quite romantic and girly but with an attitude. Often a bit contradictary.

q)Who or what influences your art?

a)Many things really. Artists I can mention are Barbra Kruger, Tracey Emin, Chris Ofili, Frida Khalo, Pierre et Gilles, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol and his Factory, Bob and Roberta Smith, Nan Goldin, Basquiat, various grafitti-artists and many more.... Apart from that the British culture inspires me, as well as life, music, emotions and twisted thoughts in general. Mean people can also inspire me, as they can piss me off, and this gives me a lot of energy towards my work.

q)How often do you create a new piece?

a)It depends. I normally work on several projects at the same time. A painting could be done in a week, or sometimes 6 months, depending on the technique and amount of beads for instance.

q)What kind of success have you had with your art?*

a)I have been lucky to have shows internationally, and I suppose the biggest experience so far was to be included in a major exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro. I am also very pleased to be represented by Transit Art Space. In addition I have got a few awards and grants along the way, that have made my everyday less hard as it gives you the opportunity to focus and concentrate more on your work. Currently I am very much looking forward to my soloshow at Galleri Gathe in Bergen, Norway in February 2009.

q)What would be the ultimate goal for you and your art?*

a)Absolutely to have important shows in spaces all over the world on a regular basis, as well as interest and respect from artists, collectors and important collections internationally. I want to keep growing as an artist, and never (I hope!) feel empty and out of new ideas. Never be boring.

q)What do you see as an accomplishment in the way of art?*

a)Same as above really, as well as getting a message out. Creating something of some kind of interest that certain people can relate to. Challenge the audience and yourself on some kind of level, either through subject-matter, visuals, use of colour or technique.

q)What kind of message, if any, do you try to convey
through your art?

a)The documentation of emotions and conditions form the basis of my work. Each piece is inspired from a situation or an emotion, and the documentation of this amalgamated with ideas around reality or fantasy form each piece.
I often want my work to be contradictory. Humour is also an important element, as well as vulnerability. All my expressions are feminine. I see the world from a feminine point of view, and I am concerned with the female role in the society. This role is in constant change, as is my artistic project. Life changes, and so do I. By using for example beads in my work, I refer to the old tradition of womens handcraft, but in a contemporary manner. I also use a lot of text in my paintings, which can be linked to pop – or streetart.
I want some of my work to be intense. This either through the use of colour, beads or mirror mosaic that can make it difficult for the viewer to focus, which is something I find interesting to explore. I want to interpret ways of staying in control, or losing control, stay focused or loose focus. This again linked to the human brain, the strength of ones thoughts and the vulnerability of our psychological aspects.

q)Sum up your art in one word.

a)PINK

q)Any additional comments?

a)Stay inspired

q)...your contacts...

A)www.elinmelberg.com

www.transitartspace.com

elinmelberg@yahoo.com

Interview with Mark Powell

q) What is your name and what do you do?

a) My name is Mark Powell and I make sculptures.

q)When did you really get into art?

a) I made my first serious drawings around the age of 18, prior to this I drew only occasionally.

q)How did you come to the realization that you should try your luck at art on a more serious level?

a) Well, I always knew that sooner or later I would have to start getting serious about it, ever since seeing an exhibition of James Gleeson's work when I was about 11, I may be sentimentalizing that moment and placing greater significance on it now, however, I do believe the need to eventually start making images has always been in the back of my mind.

q)How did you discover the particular style that you have?

a) Well I think it's obvious I have combined elements from many different sources, this cannot be helped, I just do what pleases me in this respect. There is though, a certain look of decay and a particular set of colours which I use that simply work well for me, and when I stray from these elements I find that the work often fails.

q)How would you describe your style?

a) A combination of elements that please my eye.

q)Who or what influences your art?

a) I am influenced primarily by painters, in the formal sense, and conceptually by the interminable chatter inside my own brain, this is where ideas come from, although I acknowledge boredom as a valuable influence upon my motivation to want to make art to begin with.

q)How often do you create a new piece?

a) Because I have to fabricate every individual piece, and due to my obsession with detail, I am unable to put out a new work as often as I would like, however I am hoping this will change when I get settled into a new studio space and I am able to develop a more solid routine.

q)What kind of success have you had with your art?

a) Well, I have only recently 'exhibited' images of my work on-line after spending many years working in a kind of vacuum. I wanted to gauge other peoples reactions and to test whether or not I was deluding myself. The responses have been pretty positive though, which has been encouraging, as has the interest expressed by a few established artist whom I admire very much.

q)What would be the ultimate goal for you and your art?

a) I would simply like to improve on the level of craftsmanship and also to produce larger and more detailed works. Conceptually, I know I need some as yet unspecified idea to manifest, although I realize this can only be achieved through the process of working.

q)What do you see as an accomplishment in the way of art?

a) What I consider an accomplishment, with all art, is when it alleviates the boredom and monotony of life, and helps to provide the visual equivalent of a good meal, I suppose living amongst the suburban sprawl has left me with a desire to find a richer alternative to the retinal bread and water I am so used to.

q)What kind of message, if any, do you try to convey through your art?

a) I do not try and convey any message at all and I instinctively recoil from most art that does. I am interested however, in sort of devolving, deforming, disfiguring, deranging and destroying the human form, and perhaps eventually dissolving it, to see if there is anything of any substance there, quivering in the ooze at the end of the line.

q)Sum up your art in one word.

a) Cruel.

q)…your contacts…

a)www.markpowellart.com

markpowellart@gmail.com

Interview with Bjorn Calleja

q) What is your name and what do you do?

a)Bjorn Calleja... I paint... and do art...

q)When did you really get into art?

a)I always loved to draw as a kid but it got pretty serious in 2001...

q)How did you come to the realization that you should try your luck at art on a more serious level?

a)Well... at first I was just trying to enjoy the artist's life... but when you get into art, you begin to realize that it is a vocation, much like priesthood for catholics... you might not make it, but if it is your calling then it is a purpose that needs to be served... at least I enjoy it..

q)How did you discover the particular style that you have?

a)it just came to me... by influence I guess...

q)How would you describe your style?

a)It's a figurative depiction of emotions i hold inside... rendered with marshmallow palettes and drawn as best as I could... whew... that question is really hard....

q)Who or what influences your art?

a)Fairy tales... Alice in wonderland... Peter Pan and stuff like that... cartoons...
children... rainbows... clouds... stars... pretty things and bad things
mad... juxtapoz... heavy metal... filipino comics... everything

q)How often do you create a new piece?

a)I only work on paintings when I am in the mood that is usually always or when I need to make one for a show. I have a day job as a graphic designer and could only work on paintings during the wee hours when everyone else sleeps...I could stay 3 days without sleep when working on a piece then sleep the whole weekend...

q)What kind of success have you had with your art?

a)I could never consider myself successful... it still is a long road and I can't put success atop my head... i've done pretty much a number of group shows, a few with my friends at ism community in O.C.... had my first solo exhibit last September 08... nothing really big

q)What would be the ultimate goal for you and your art?

a)That people would appreciate them...and feel them...

q)What do you see as an accomplishment in the way of art?

a)Recognition would be good... shows abroad... good artist friends... it's hard to think of accomplishments especially for artists like me who are in the wrong side of the planet... the Philippines is a poor country with rich talents... the market for art here is limited only to big names and I don't think i'm one of them

q)What kind of message, if any, do you try to convey through your art?

a)My life... a lot of my art is based on myself, that way I stay genuine with it... my struggles in life and the people I meet are my subjects... I often put commentaries in my figures... but the most important message is the feeling and emotion I am reflecting towards my viewers...

q)Sum up your art in one word.

a)U-duh!

q)Any additional comments?

a)Keep growing and stay true love art as much as you love yourself and wherever your art takes you stay rooted... thanks and much love from manila, Philippines...

q)…your contacts…

a)You could check me out at www.bjorncalleja.tk,

www.multiply.com/bjorncalleja,

or email me at edelbjorn@yahoo.com

Interview with Ben Heine

q) Let’s start with the basics; what's your full name, where do you live, and how old are you?

a)Ben Heine. I live in Brussels, Belgium and I’m 25 year old.

q) Do you have any formal training?

a)I studied journalism in Brussels during 4 years. I studied arts in a school in Hastings (England) during 1 year (painting, drawing, sculpting, photography, multimedia, history of art…). And I studied 6 months Technologies of Information and Communication in Utrecht (Holland). I also studied Slavic languages, history and culture (Polish and Russian) during 2 years. In art, I believe I’m mainly a passionate, open-minded and perseverant autodidact, ha ha! I did learn a few techniques when I personally met great masters such as Sebastian Kruger, Jan Op De Beeck, Marcin Bondarowicz and others. I think making mistakes and work hard to not make them again is the best teaching ever. I consider that motivation comes from inside an individual at 80%, the rest comes from outside. I’m an optimistic and curious person, I’m always amazed, even scared to see all the things I still have to and want to learn and discover and all the people I have to and want to meet.

q) Did the place you grew up in influence your image making?

a)I was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, a beautiful, warm and colourful country in the West of Africa. I lived there all my early childhood, until 7. It definitely had a huge impact on the way I see my environment and the way I interact with people now. Of course, such an experience also influenced the way I draw and represent things on paper or on canvas. I think this past life helps me now to find different sources of inspiration, in unexplored universes. Sometimes, I’ve the impression to have no particular identity, to not be fully connected to this world, to have no precise roots and, in a way, to be a privileged “observer” of what’s going on around me. Like so many other artists, I’m a person who likes to produce things, it’s almost vital. Furthermore, due to the fact that a significant part of my creations has a political substance, I perceive this function as a heavy responsibility to bear. Even if I have lots of pleasure doing what I’m doing, I have the strong feeling that it’s a duty, that I must use this special sensibility, my freedom of expression and my will to share my opinions and sentiments in a graphic way. We’re all here on hearth for a short time. I’m convinced every one of us should do their best to know the place they live better, to have more sincere and simple relationships with other people and cultures, and to use what god has given them to promote peace and fight against oppression, discrimination, racism or violence.

q) How do you come up with your concepts?

a)Many concepts come to me when there is a conflict between my personal judgment of a situation and reality, may it be political or not. When I have no clear ideas on something, reading is one of my methods to fill my brain with new elements and information. It usually works well, but it’s a long process. When I make political creations, I usually consult several articles related to the subject I want to illustrate. Writers every so often use impressive and gorgeous metaphors. I try to illustrate them. When I make portraits, I read several biographies of the concerned persons; I try to know them as much as possible so that the representation fits their personality. For non political works, I just listen to my soul, my feelings and do anything as long as it relieves me completely. When the idea is found (this is often the longest step!), I start to draw and develop it, this is more technique. Some precious ideas and concepts often come suddenly in incongruous moments. It happens at night, when making a jogging, when talking to a friend, when hearing something strange at the radio, when seeing something never seen before. It depends also on the mood I have and on what my intentions are. The fact to live and learn new things is definitely something that generates concepts in my mind.

q) Describe your creations in a clear, concise and understandable sentence. What do you call them?

a)“Politico, fantastico, poetico, erotico, satirico, conceptual creations.” It’s difficult to answer in one sentence to this question, because I’ve made paintings, sculptures, political cartoons, illustrations, portraits, caricatures, collages, photos, calligraphy, poems, etc. I think we could simply call my recent graphic productions “cartoons”. Most of them are political images and intend to convey clear messages on current issues. With my experience in painting, I tend now to make illustrations, often surrealistic ones.

q) What other mediums would you like to explore in your image making?

a)I’d like to make totally digital graphic works. I find it very clean. I just started to retouch photos recently under a fake name: “Hubert Lebizay”. Ha ha, this is just a diversion and a challenge anyway, but I’m spending more and more time on this. Seriously, I intend to come back to traditional painting in the forthcoming months, watercolour and acrylic, more precisely. I like the uncontrolled “happy happenings” that aquarelle creates and the high precision that is possible with acrylic. Both mediums are magical. I hope to be able to get more textures and accuracy with these techniques. I might even add collages to this. I’m sure a large number of my future creations will still have a political connotation. You know, this is the “duty” I was talking about… But they will certainly be about issues that concern us all, such as Global Warming…

q) What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a)I guess the environment has a tangible effect on mood. I usually work when I can due to lack of time. It can be at any moment in the day. Ideally, the period which is the most favourable to make things that require heavy concentration is in the afternoon while my best moment to be imaginative, escape in other dimensions and find original ideas and concepts is definitely either late in the evening or at night, when everything around is quite and seems far away. In prosperous moments, when my mind is full of ideas, I write or draw them quickly on paper, before I forget them the next day. I come back to these little sketches weeks, months or even years after.

q) What are your artistic influences? And …generally who or what influences you the most?

a)I’m influenced by everything. In the art galaxy, the movements that influenced me the most are the German Expressionism, Belgian Surrealism and American Pop Art. My close and personal environment is a source of artistic creativity too. More recently, my main source of inspiration has been the international news... But I hope to be able to make timeless creations again, in a traditional way as I explained on question 6.

q) Who are some of your favourite artists/designers/photographers?

a)Many ! Some that I have in mind : Sebastian Kruger, Banksy, Plantu, Hadi Heidari, Marcin Bondarowicz, Dusso, Pawel Kuczynski, Erdogan Karayel, Carlos Latuff, Bendib, Ares, Angel Boligan, Alessandro Gatto, Ajubel, Naji Al Ali, Juan Kalvellido, Glenn Ferguson, Elliott Erwitt, Robert Doisneau, Alexander Rodchenko, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus, Brassai Gilad Benari, Denis Olivier, Hieronymus Bosch, René Magritte, Picasso, Salvador Dali, Otto Dix, Andy Warhol, Jan van Eyck, Pieter Bruegel

q) What is your next project? Exhibition? Collaboration?

a)My cartoon “Facebook Vs Myspace” will be published in the German version of “Rolling Stone” and I currently have an exhibition in a Belgian pub called “Le Courant d’Air”.

q) What are your plans for the future?

a)Have a family and keep being creative.

q) Are there some web sites that you would like to recommend? Artists, art communities, xxx...

a)Many! Every week, I put on my blog a selection of interesting links I discovered. Here is an example of some recent choices:
http://www.brazilcartoon.com
http://www.toonpool.com
http://www.magnumphotos.com
http://driian.free.fr
http://mi50.blogspot.com
http://wwar.com
http://www.dylancolestudio.com
http://www.dusso.com
http://www.hatchfx.com
http://www.kelvinmcilwain.com

q) What sort of music do you listen to?

a)Although I chose graphic art to express myself, I’m convinced that music is the supreme art. It penetrates people in a much more powerful and universal way than any other form of artistic expression. I used to love songs only for their lyrics. Now, I tend to appreciate more musical melodies and rhythms, without any words. Any kind of melodies and rhythms, from classic to electro house. True talents can be found in any style.

q) Do you collect anything? If so what?

a)I’m not really a collector. What I collect the most are happy memories…

q) What do you do for fun?

a)I dance rock ‘n’ roll.

q) Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)I would tell them to be themselves, to keep being creative, dynamic and prolific whatever happens, to be original, unconventional and not afraid to stir up old principles, to make artworks that have a strong meaning and force people to think or see the world in a different angle, to cherish noble values, to believe in genuine peace and democracy, to be a reflection of the society they live in and to not lose their own ideals. ...

More info on Ben Heine :
- www.benheine.com
- www.benheine.deviantart.com
- www.benjaminheine.blogspot.com